Pours a clear brown color with a ring of offwhite lace. Aroma and flavor of toasted malt and butterscotch with a dry finish. The body is light with gentle carbonation. Not even close to a stout, I would put it as a scottish ale.

Almost clear dark brown body without much head. Lots of butterscotch on the nose but fortunately a bit less in the taste. The very malty body has some roastiness and red fruits jam flavours that do not get along with the butterscotch. Drinkable but not memorable. Allegedly this was supposed to be a stout but when it didn’t come out right it was renamed and repackaged to make it seem like the desired result. I often do the same think with my cooking to save face.

Cask Stillage from the outside bar at the Hillsborough Hotel, Sheffield 16/12/2006 Fruit and roast aromas. Copper mid brown coloured and a little rich on the palate. Some bitterness and dryness in a crisp full roast finish.

My Bottom Line:
This under-roasted oyster stout (which the brewery admitted) would manage to emerge as a roastier-than-usual scottish ale if it weren’t for the bothersome diacetyl.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A ring of foam circles the burgundy-tinged blackness.
-Some roastiness appears in the nose, underneath the butterscotch.
-The soft carbonation works with the healthy maltiness, building a nourishing yet drinkable mouthfeel.
-The finish brings back some roasty dryness.
-I wish I had tried it on cask at Blackfriars in Inverness when I had the chance.

Bottle; best before December ’07.